AMD's powerful 16-core Threadripper CPU will cost $999

AMD didn't have many details to share about its 16-core Ryzen Threadripper CPU when it was announced back in May, but now it's ready to spill the beans. The chip, officially known as the Threadripper 1950X, will sell for $999, the company announced today. It'll feature a base speed of 3.4GHz with a boost clock of 4GHz. But that's not all: AMD also revealed a $799 12-core Threadripper 1920X CPU, for extreme PC users looking to save a couple hundred bucks. Both chips, along with new motherboards, should be available in August.

While the 16-core Threadripper seemed like the fastest chip on the block when it was first announced, Intel quickly one-upped AMD at Computex with its 18-core i9 Extreme Edition. As usual, though, AMD holds the price advantage. That Intel CPU will run you $1,999, while its 16-core version is a slightly less crazy $1,799. Intel's chips sport base speeds of 3.3Ghz, with boost clocks up to 4.3GHz. If you're looking to get the most multi-threaded computing bang for your buck, AMD still looks like your best option.

Switching from extreme high-end to low-end computing, AMD also offered up a few details about its upcoming Ryzen 3 chips. Both models will be quad-core/quad-threaded processors based on their Zen architecture. The Ryzen 3 1300X will sport speeds between 3.5Ghz and 3.7Ghz, while the Ryzen 3 1200 will clock between 3.1Ghz and 3.4Ghz. The company isn't talking about pricing details yet, but you can expect the new chips to be cheaper than the mid-range Ryzen 5 and high-end Ryzen 7 CPUs.